Artwork for Bible resources

The right artwork is important for any project and helps turn a text-heavy project into an attractive book, course or resource.

In the process of helping a Guatemalan Bible institute with their curriculum updates, I found these resources that can help provide artwork for a variety of resources at low or no cost. I’m listing them below.

But before that, here are some important terms to review:

Key terms:

Free — read the fine print in the source to see if the person offering it actually has rights to offer the artwork or they are just sharing from somewhere else. If that’s the case, go to the original source.

Copyright — This is NOT the right to copy. It is a protection to allow artists and other creative individuals to benefit from their work and keep it from being used in a way they don’t approve. Read more about copyright here.

Royalties — payments made for the specific use of a product while owner retains the copyright and control over the product, artwork, etc.

Royalty-free — basically, if used as allowed (read the fine print) you don’t have to pay for each use or type of use.

Public domain — where creative works when a copyright is released for anyone to use or the copyright has expired and the creative work is no longer under protection but can be used by anyone. Watch out because some original works are in the public domain but the particular scan, reproduction, recording, etc. may be copyrighted.

CC/Creative Commons — a non-profit that helps manage or clarify what usage is OK and what’s not for certain types of “open” or public usage of resources. Check out details here.

This isn’t legal advice or definitions but hopefully this helps understand a little of what these terms mean. For your specific case, I encourage you to consult the copyright holder of the artwork you’re wanting to use or get legal counsel.

Resources:

Name	Resources	Website:	Copyright info	Notes:	Be aware	Example:
New York Public Library	Public Domain and Copyrighted materials	https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/	Contains a mix, but you can search collections that are specifically Public Domain. Attribution required	All sorts of artwork available, Biblical themes can be found in the form of maps of the Holy Land, or by searching for Bibles, Jewish history, Biblical people, etc.	Some images especially classical artwork may include material that has nudity or images. Please be careful what you view.
Envisioning Truth 499	Non-Commercial use	https://www.eem.org/envisioning-truth-499/	CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution required	499 line art images of Bible themes from the Old and New Testaments drawn by Fred App	Commercial usage can be arranged by contacting Scott Hayes at [email protected]
Library of Congress	Public Domain, copyrighted.	https://catalog.loc.gov/vwebv/searchBasic	Contains a mix, but you can review the copyright status of each image. Attribution Required	All sorts of artwork available, Biblical themes can be found in the form of maps of the Holy Land, or by searching for Bibles, Jewish history, Biblical people, etc.	Some images especially classical artwork may include material that has nudity or images. Please be careful what you view.
The Met	Public Domain, copyrighted.	https://www.metmuseum.org/art/the-collection	Contains a mix, but you can review the copyright status of each image. Attribution required	All sorts of artwork available, Biblical themes can be found in the form of maps of the Holy Land, or by searching for Bibles, Jewish history, Biblical people, etc.	Some images especially classical artwork may include material that has nudity or images. Please be careful what you view.
Vecteezy	Royalty-free images , Paid	https://www.vecteezy.com/	A variety of vectors and other graphics. Annual subscription requried. Attribution not always required.	Search for biblical themes, bible names, etc.
Digital Juice	Royalty-free images, Paid	https://www.digitaljuice.com/	A variety of media files incluidng a nice cartoon set of Bible-related artwork in color or black and white line art, vectors and other graphics. Payed entry required. Attribution not always required.	Search by story, theme, etc. Not all keywords are helpful so sometimes requires extra searching.
MOMA UK	Links to many image resources	https://www.moma.co.uk/public-domain-images	Lots of resources to search through.
Bible Maps	Non-Commerical Creative Commons License	https://maps.hopeandfuture.pl/	CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution required	Multiple language Bible map options that can be